Table 1.
Patient Characteristics at Recruitment According to the Predictability of BTP Episodes (n = 92).
| Patient Characteristics | Unpredictable BTP Group (n = 61, 66.3%), n (%) | Predictable BTP Group (n = 31, 33.7%), n (%) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex | 26 (42.6) | 15 (48.4) | .76 |
| Age, years | |||
| Mean (SD) | 74.1 (12.9) | 68.4 (9.1) | .03 |
| Range | 41-97 | 48-84 | |
| ECOG | .60 | ||
| 0 | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.2) | |
| 1 | 9 (14.8) | 3 (9.7) | |
| 2 | 4 (6.6) | 3 (9.7) | |
| 3 | 18 (29.5) | 10 (32.3) | |
| 4 | 30 (49.1) | 14 (45.1) | |
| Site of the primary tumor | .10 | ||
| Lung | 9 (15.3) | 7 (24.1) | |
| Large bowel | 12 (20.3) | 2 (6.9) | |
| Breast | 11 (18.6) | 1 (3.4) | |
| Urogenital | 4 (6.8) | 7 (24.1) | |
| Gynecological | 6 (10.2) | 1 (3.4) | |
| Head and neck | 5 (8.5) | 2 (6.9) | |
| Pancreas | 4 (6.8) | 2 (6.9) | |
| Stomach | 3 (5.1) | 3 (10.5) | |
| Other | 5 (8.4) | 4 (13.8) | |
| Site of metastasisa | .28 | ||
| Bone | 15 (17.0) | 15 (29.4) | |
| Liver | 12 (13.6) | 9 (17.6) | |
| Lung | 13 (14.8) | 4 (7.8) | |
| Lymph nodes | 17 (19.3) | 8 (15.7) | |
| Brain | 2 (2.3) | 3 (5.9) | |
| Other | 29 (33.0) | 12 (23.6) | |
| Around-the-clock analgesic therapy (route of administration) | .02 | ||
| Fentanyl (transdermal) | 26 (34.7) | 8 (18.2) | .055 |
| Morphine (intravenous) | 12 (16.0) | 13 (29.5) | .080 |
| Oxycodone (oral) | 12 (16.0) | 2 (4.5) | .061 |
| Morphine (intravenous elastomer) | 4 (5.3) | 4 (9.1) | .429 |
| Morphine (oral) | 2 (2.7) | 6 (13.6) | .021 |
| Methadone (oral) | 2 (2.7) | 0 (0.0) | .275 |
| Others | 17 (22.6) | 11 (25.1) | .772 |
Abbreviations: BTP, breakthrough pain; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.
a
The sum is higher than the number of patients because several patients had more than 1 metastasis.